Optical element, aberration correcting element, light converging element, objective optical system, optical pickup device, and optical information recording reproducing device

Abstract

An optical system for use in an optical pickup apparatus comprises a first optical surface having a superposition type diffractive structure including a plurality of ring-shaped zones which are formed concentrically around an optical axis, wherein each ring-shaped zone is composed of a plurality of stepped sections stepwise, and a second optical surface having a diffractive structure including a plurality of ring-shaped zones which are formed concentrically around an optical axis, wherein each of the plurality of ring-shaped zones are divided by a stepped section to generate a diffractive light ray of diffractive order whose absolute value is not small than 1 for the light flux.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to an optical element for an optical pickup device, aberration correcting element, light converging element, objective optical system, optical pickup device using these optical elements, and optical information recording reproducing device.[0002]Recently, in the optical pickup device, a tendency to reduce the wavelength of a laser light source used as the light source for recording the information into an optical disk, is advanced, for example, a laser light source of a wavelength 405 nm such as a blue violet semiconductor laser or a blue violet SHG laser in which the wavelength conversion of the infrared semiconductor laser is conducted by using the second harmonics generation, is being put to practical use.[0003]When these blue violet laser light sources are used, in the case where an objective lens whose numerical aperture (NA) is the same as that of DVD (digital versatile disk) is used, the information of 15-20 GB ca...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution enables accurate recording and reproduction on high-density optical disks and DVDs by correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations, maintaining high diffraction efficiency, and reducing production costs by allowing a common optical system for multiple disk types, while also addressing temperature-induced refractive index changes in plastic lenses.

Problems solved by technology

A method is considered by which the optical parts for the high density optical disk and the optical system for DVD or CD are selectively switched corresponding to the recording density of the optical disk for which the information is recorded / reproduced, as a method by which the information is appropriately recorded / reproduced while keeping the interchangeability also for any one of the high density optical disk and DVD, further, CD, however, because a plurality of optical systems are necessary, it is disadvantageous for size-reduction, further, the cost is increased.

Problems proper to the high density optical disk are (1) the chromatic aberration accompanied by a reduction of wavelength of the laser optical source (2) the spherical aberration change accompanied by an increase of numerical aperture.

This wavelength change is about several nm, however, because the wavelength dispersion is large in the blue violet wavelength area, while the objective optical system is focused again, it is in the de-focus condition, and the adequate recording / reproducing characteristic is not obtained.

Further, (2) is a problem actualized for the reason that the spherical aberration generated in the objective optical system is increased in proportion to fourth power of the numerical aperture.

In the objective optical system of high numerical aperture, because the spherical aberration when the wavelength of the incident light flux is changed, is increased, the allowance for the wavelength of the laser light source becomes severe.

Particularly, because there is an influence of the wavelength dispersion in the blue violet wavelength area, this problem is more actualized.

Further, in order to reduce a production cost, it is effective that the objective optical system is formed of a plastic lens, however, because the spherical aberration generated due to the refractive index change accompanied by the temperature change is increased, when the temperature in the optical pickup device is changed, the recording / reproducing characteristic of the information for the high density optical disk is interfered.

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